THE 10 WORST FOODS FOR CHILDREN – BLOG #76

SUGAR AND PROCESSED FOODS LINKED TO CANCER BLOG #76
Dr. Spiker Davis D.D.S.  713-781-2800    Dr. Matt Guerre D.D.S. 713-781-2800
In collaboration with Dr. John Seger M.D. Cardiologist 713-791-9444
BLOG | ABOUT | MISSION | PALEO | RANT | PRODUCT

I believe the mouth is the WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH. I also believe that as individuals we need to take care of our health-nobody else is going to do it for us.

As a dentist, I am asked frequently, what kind of foods are bad for my kids? We probably don’t have enough time or paper to go over all of that but I’m going to list the 10 worse foods in my opinion. And realize that I am definitely prejudiced about dental health, but I’m also concerned about children’s health in general. I have 10 grandchildren and am often surprised by what my kids feed them. I didn’t have all of this junk when I was a kid but most of it did not even exist in the current condition it is now! And please consider that In 1950 (I was 2 years old) the average American consumed about 2 pounds of sugar PER YEAR. In 2020, the average American consumed about 200 pounds of sugar annually!!!! NO WONDER WE ARE OVERWEIGHT, DIABETIC, AND HAVE LOTS OF HEART DISEASE AND CANCER. So here goes my list:

1. ANYTHING WITH SUGAR that we all know about like candy and cokes and ice cream. There are many things that we feed our children that are loaded with Sugar but we don’t think about it. In fact, we might think it is healthy such as Peanut Butter-read the label before you buy that one.
2. CARBONATED DRINKS-Most of these are loaded with sugar and you should not let them drink this under any circumstance because in addition to the sugar, they have a lot of acids (Carbonic Acid it what makes them bubble) and ACID can eat holes and erode your teeth! DON’T DO IT!
3. PACKAGED FRUIT JUICE-Many of us think that fruit juice is healthy, and some of it is. However, most fruit juices have tons of natural sugar, and then when processed they add more sure in addition most fruit juices are acidic. So you get tons of sugar and acid. No wonder the kids are hyperactive and get a lot of decay. Quit!
4. CITRUS FRUITS-Citrus fruits can be healthy BUT, in addition to lots of vitamin C, most of them are loaded with natural sugar which is better than table sugar even natural sugar can raise your A1-C which is indicative of pre-diabetes. Please read the label and limit the sugar and also acid. We need limits.
5. POTATO CHIPS-You know the old saying you can’t eat just one and that is true for chips. They are one of the worst foods for children (and adults) because they are loaded with starch, and they stick to your teeth. The starch breaks down in your mouth and is a breeding ground for the bad bacteria and it also eventually breaks down to sugar and causes plaque buildup. They are not healthy and basically provide no nutrition! We all eat them some but if so, please make your kids go brush their teeth immediately.
6. BREAKFAST CEREALS-I don’t think that they make cereal without sugar??? But if they do, the kids probably won’t eat it. Try to find the one with the lowest amount of sugar. If they must have something sweet on the cereal then try raw unfiltered honey and which has lots of other nutrients with no preservatives.
7. TOASTER PASTRIES-Almost all of these are loaded with sugar and then sweetened jelly in the middle, icing on the top, and sometimes even sprinkles. Some of the most common brands can have up to 50 ingredients. I have read many articles and books stating that processed foods like these have so many chemicals that they could be causing IBS and all of the other intestinal issues that we see so much of. In my opinion, anything in a box, can, or bag is not healthy for you or your children because of all the sugar and chemicals that are added. Be Careful I even saw sugar as an ingredient in Morton’s salt!
8. STICKY GRANOLA TYPE BARS-these are often hard to separate from a healthy snack but read the ingredients for the sugar content, dyes added for color, chocolate, and all kinds of chemicals.
9. FRENCH FRIES-who doesn’t love a French fry? However, these are very similar to a potato chip-you can’t eat just one and they stick to your teeth and break down to feed bacteria and convert to sugar. I read one article where a cardiologist said that most kids age 10 and under already had a 20% blockage of their coronary arteries and he was blaming it on the high consumption of French Fries. I’m not sure that I will eat them if they are on my plate and I can’t eat just one. If we could establish better eating habits early on maybe we would not have so many young adults (age 40 or s) having early heart attacks??
10. SPORTS DRINKS AND MILK-We have all been told that our children need milk to build strong bones and electrolytes for surviving sports in the summer. There is some validity to both but you must look closely at the labels. Many Milk products have a lot of sugar and very high-fat content. If you start your children on low-fat lactose-free milk at an early age, they won’t know the difference and in my opinion, they are much better for you. Sports drinks are similar. We don’t want our children to get dehydrated etc. in the hot summer months playing sports but the sugar content can be overwhelming. READ YOUR LABELS

DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 50 DIFFERENT HIDDEN WORDS FOR SUGAR? WHEN YOU READ THE LABEL WATCH OUT FOR WORDS LIKE CORN SYRUP, FRUCTOSE, DEXTROSE, MALTOSE, LACTOSE ETC. ALMOST ANY WORD THAT ENDS IN “OSE” IS A SUGAR.

SUMMARY-It is obvious that your mouth is the window to your health. In my opinion, A GOOD DIET FOR ALL CHILDREN TRYS HARD TO ELIMINATE ALL FORMS OF SUGAR! FROM AN OVERALL HEALTH STANDPOINT I THINK IT IS GREAT TO ELIMINATE ALL PROCESSED FOODS AS THEY ALL HAVE SUGAR AND A LOT OF OTHER CHEMICALS AND PRESERVATIVES. WE ALL CHEAT SOME, SO MAKE SURE WHEN YOUR CHILDREN CHEAT THAT THEY GO BRUSH THEIR TEETH IMMEDIATELY.
HAPPY EASTER

“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”. BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR FOR 2023 AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN REGULARLY.

Spiker Davis D.D.S. spiker@thepaleodentist.com John Seger M.D. Matt Guerre D.D.S.
PLEASE SIGN UP BY GOING TO OUR WEBSITE www.thepaleodentist.com 

STAY SAFE. WORRY ABOUT NOTHING AND PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING.